Heater unit



May 7, 1940.

G. E. PRICE HEATER UNIT 2 Sheets-Sheef 1 /3 f Z5 Z6 /4 29 Z 25 25 42 46 4 37 i x I 3 3 $33 /6 l /6 Insulation 33 WITNESSES: INVENTOR George Z. Price.

ATTCSRNE'Y MaLy 7, 1940. r G 5, PRICE 2,199,650

HEATER UNIT 4 Filed Sept. 5, 1937, 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May :1, 1940 George E. Price, Mansfield, Ohio, assignor to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa.,- acorporation' of Pennsylvania Application September 3, 1937, Serial No. 162,236

6 Claims. (01. 219-37) My invention relates to heater units and more particularly to totally enclosed surface heater units for ranges.

In those surface heater units known to theart a in which the heating element has been embedded within an insulating material, such as magnesium oxide, the degreeof heat conductivity from the heating element to the top-plate has been relatively low due to the insulating material not m being sufficiently compact. It is, therefore, an

object of my invention to provide a range surface heating unit having an insulating material between the heating element and the top-plate thereof which will have such a density or compactness as to increase the heat conductivity between such heating element and the top-Plate.

A further object'of my invention'is to provide a rugged, inexpensive heating unit easily manufactured and having a high operating em ciency.

A further object of my invention is to provide a range surface heating unit which is capable of transferringa maximum amount of heat from the top-plate thereof to a vessel placed thereon either by conduction or radiation.

Other objects of'my invention will either be pointed out specifically in the course of the following description of a device embodying my invention. or will be apparent from such description.

In' the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of a device embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II--II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of -a modified form of the device shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 illustrates onestep and Fig. 5 a second step in the manufacture of the device shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I show a range surface unit In, comprising a heating unit including oppositely disposed sheet metal plates l2 and I3, having spaced curved passages or convolutions i4 therebetween, a heating element i5 operatively and insulatedly disposed within the passages between said metal plates, and a housing It which supports the heating unit It. p t

The top metalplate i2 01 the heating unit It may comprise a plurality of embossed or raised portions 20 separated by bridging portions 23. The embossed portions 20 have a large flat contact surface 20a, which is spaced a relatively short vertical distance 2| above the bridging por- "tions 23. The horizontal distance 21 between the flattened surfaces 20a. of the embossed portions 20 islikewise maintained at a relativelyshort distance in relation to the distance across the flattened surface of the embossed portions 20. It is, therefore, apparent that the open space located between the embossed portions 20 will be substantially a narrow V-shaped groove which, after a vessel has been placed upon the heating unit, will contain a relatively small volume of air.

By having the flattened contact surface 20a.

of the embossed portions 20 large with relation to the substantially V-shaped space between such embossed portions, as shown in-Fig. 2, the

heat transfer from the flattened contact surface and through the air in the V-shaped air space to any suitable vessel placed thereon by con- 'duction and radiation will be substantially a maximum value.

The bottom plate I: of the heating unit l0 has a plurality of embossed portions 25 separated by bridging portions 26. The embossed portions 15 cooperate with the embossed portions of the top-plate I! by being located opposite thereto and may be of any size or shape desired. However, it is preferred that they be semi-circular in cross-section and have a radius of curvature large enough so that such embossed portion will adequately support the heating ele- 0 ment l5 and a suitable insulating material therefor, such as magnesium oxide. The bottom plate It may be attached to the top-plate in any suitable manner, preferably by spot'welding, so that the cooperating embossed portion 20 and will form the, spaced passages I...

The heating element It may comprise a hellcal resistance wire and may be located within the spaced passages or convolutions H and insulated therefrom in any suitable manner. However, it is preferred that the heating element II be insulated from the spaced passages [I by means of magnesium oxide, which is formed by a magnesium ribbon disposed within and'without the resistance wire and processing the magnesium in a manner well known to the art, as hereinafter described.

The housing l6 comprises a side portion It and either a separate bottom portion 31, as shown in Fig. 2, or an integral bottom portion I, as shownin Fig. 3. When it is desired to usefthe separate bottom portion 31, the side portions 36 may be an integial part of the top-plate l2, as shown in Fig. I. By having the side portions 36 a part of the top-plate l2, the removable bottom portion 81 may then be inserted-within the side portion SI and attached thereto in any suitable manner, such as by spot welding. Should the housing I. be separate from the topplate Ila, the housing may be in the form of a dish having vertical side portions It and an integral bottom ll, as shown in Fig. 3. With such a housing and if it be desired to rigidly attach the heating unit III to the housing, the

top-plate Ila may extend over the shoulder 42 of the side portion 38 of housing II and may be welded thereto.

An insulating block 60 may be located within the housing It intermediate the bottom plate I! of the heater unit and the bottom portion 31 or ll to thermally insulate the heating unit from below. However, the surface unit It may be assembled without an insulating block it, and the top-surface of. the bottom plates 31 or ll may have a polished surface to reflect upwardly any neat which might be radiated downwardly from the heating unit I01 Suitable inleads ll may insulated inserted.

within the housing It and may be attached to the heating element It by means of bolts 40 and nuts I or in any other desirable manner. The

inleads 3| may be insulatedly mounted upon the tom plate have been rigidly attached together,

such top-plate may be subjected to sufllcient heat to cause the magnesium ribbon I. to be transformed from a metallicstate into magnesium hydroxide. The heat may be supplied to the heating "unit II by placing'such unit within an autoclave full of water heated'to 800 F. and by increasing the pressure in the autoclave to ap-- proximately 750 to 1000 pounds. Due tothe indistorted by the action of the magnesium bydroxide'.

The unit may then be heated by the passage of current through the heating element or by any other suitable method 'As the heating unit increases in temperature the magnesium hydroxide .will be dried and changed into magnesium oxide. The magnesium oxide, due to its close relation or amnity for the heating element liand the walls of the spaced passages M, will provide an excellent compressed electrical-insulating material and conductor of heat between the heating element It and the walls of the spaced passages ll. A suiilcient pressure may then be applied to said plates to 'force the bulged por tions, such as 30 shown in l ig. 5', back to their original list position as shown in Fig. 3, or the.

bulged embossed portions 2| and' 26 back to their original shape, as shown in Fig. 2. During at a in Pig. 3. This may be done in any de- 5 the application of pressure upon the plates the *magnesium oxide will be further compressed and will become denser, which increases the heat conductivity of such insulating material and lengthens the life of the surface unit..

Before forming the insulating material I. for the device, as shown in Fig. 2, the embossed portions of the F P-plate I! may be in substantially an oval shape similar to that of the embossed portions of the bottom plate II, with the heating element ll therebetween. The metallic magnesium 2| placed about the heating element I! will, upon the application of millcient heat, be transformed to an the entire passage It with magnesium oxide, as hereinabove described. A suiiicient pressure may then be applied to the plates l2 and I; to deform theembossed portion 20 and'place thereon the flat top surface 20a, and simultaneously further compressing the magnesium oxide 20, causing such material to become very dense.

It is preferred, that, when making a flat topplate l2, such top-plate may have a plurality of small embossed portions ll, substantially as shown in Fig. 5, located in a position to cooperate with the embossed portions 25 of the bottom plate It. The magnesium metal I. than upon oxidizing intomagnesium hydroxide II, will expand and fill the entire spaced passages N. The plates may then have applied thereto sumcient heat and pressure to cause'the maaneaium hydroxide to change to magnesium oxide, and to force the small embossed portions II to return to their normal position leaving the top-plate substantially flat, as shown in Fig. 3. By using an originally deformed top-plate l2 and then pressing it out flat, as hereinabove described, the magnesium oxide will be forced into a more dense, compact mass than if the top-plate were deformed by the action of the ';formation of the magnesium hydroxide II.

In assembling the device em ody ng Ill! invention, as shown in Fig. 2, the top-plate I2 and the ,lntegral sideportions I. of the housing ll may be placed over the bottom plate I! with the heating element II and the magnesium metal II wound thereabout located within the spaced passages The top-plate l2 and the bottom plate ll may then be rigidly attached together by spot welding the bridging portions 20 and 20 together at several separate places. The number of these spot welds is not suiilclent to completely seal the spaced passages ll. Then, upon the application of sufllcient heat as described, the magnesium metal 28 wound about the heating element It will be transformed first into magnesium hydroxide and then into the magnesium oxide insulating material 2!. Premure may then be applied to the plates l2 and II through suitable dics and the flat surfaces Ila may be formed upon the embossed portion II, which, in turn, will increase the density of the insulating material 29 as hereinabove described.

" While pressure is being applied to the plates II and II an additional number of spot welds may be applied to the bridging portions 28 and I. to more firmly secure the plates together so that they will resist the expansive thrust of the compressed electric-insulating material I! and will prevent deformation of the heating plate as it is heated to red heat in the air. At the same time the edges of the plates may be welded together or otherwise sealed throughout the whole circumference as shown at l! in Fig. 2 and mosphere, and to permit the heating unit to be hermetically sealed.

The-inlead 3| may then be rigidly attached to the stud bolt 46, operatively associated with one end of the heating element l5, by means of nuts 43. Thesuita-ble insulating material 43 may then be located within the housing iii, if desired, and the removable bottom 31 may be placed within the housing J3 and rigidly attachedthereto in' amr suitable manner preferably a continuous weld at the juncture 38, as shown in Fig. 2..

If it be preferred to have the housing I6 hermetically sealed, the removable bottom 31 should have a gas-tight juncture with the housing I6, as shown at 38 in Fig. 2, and the top-plate- 2a should have a gas-tight juncture with the housing, as shown at 45a. in Fig. 3. An evacuating-sealing tube 33 may be then operatively associated with the bottom 31 and may be rigidly attached thereto in any suitable manner which will be capable of forming a glass-to-me-tal air-tight seal. The inleads 3i must likewise be sealed within the housing I6 by means of the collar 32 and insulating tube 33 as hereinabove described,

If it be desired to have a flat surface top-plate, as shown in Fig. 3, the top-plate 12 may be a small circular plate as shown, or may be in the form of a dish substantially as shown in Fig. 2. However, if it be preferred to have the top plate in the form of a small disc and have the housing It in the form of a dish substantially as shown in Fig. 3, the heating unit It may be hermetically sealed therein by having the top-plate I! extend beyond and upon the shoulders 42 of the housing I where they may be welded to such shoulders to form a' gas-tight seal thereto. With such a structure, if it be desired to hermetically seal the heating unit, it becomes necessary to have a glass-to-metal seal 39, substantially as shown in Iiig. 2, preferably located within the bottom plate The top-plate of the heating unit will arrive at a red heat in air within afew seconds after the heating unit has been connected to a power supply, not shown, and will not buckle with concontact surface in contact with a vessel which may be located thereon, will due to the large contact area between the vessel and the heating unit operate at a high degree of efficiency, and moreover, the material in the vessel will quickly reach its maximum temperature.

It is to be understood that, if it be desired to have the embossed portions located upon the top-plate, as'shown in Fig. 2, the open space between the spaced passages It must be maint'ained small in proportion to the contact surface of such embossed portion, Byhaving this area a minimum value in proportion to the area of the contact surface, as hereinabove described, the air located therein will, after increasing to its maximum temperature, readily conduct the heat from the sides of the embossed portions 20 and the bridging portions 23 to a vessel locatedupon the surface unit with a maximum eiiiciency. The

temperature of the air located between the em-' bossed portions can only be maintained at a high temperature if the volume of such air remains small in relation tothe surface thereabout,

and it is to be understood that the higher the temperature of the air within the groove the greater will be the efficiency of radiation of heat therethrough.

It is, therefore, obvious that by using a surface unit as embodied in my invention, in which the top-plate is substantially flat or has fiat topped embossed portions separated by V-shaped air spaces, such surface heater unit will be capable of transferring a maximum amount of heat from the top-plate to .a vessel placed thereon, either by conduction or radiation.

Various further modifications may be made in the device embodying my invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art and the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

prising a housing, a pair of metal plates in faceto-face position and having spaced passages therebetween including a top-plate having flat surfaced embossed portions and a bottom-plate having embossed portions therein, the walls of said spaced passages comprising said embossed portions, bridging portions separating said spaced passages, the horizontal distance between said spaced passages along said bridging portions and the vertical distance between the bridging portions and the flat-surface of the top-plate embossed portionsbeing small in relation to the flat-surface of the top-plate embossed portions, and a heating element'having a single turn mounted within each of the spaced passages, insulating material completely filling thespace between said heating element and said plates,

means comprising said housing for supporting and'sealing the plates, insulating means located within said housing and below said metal plates, and means comprising said housing and insulating means for thermally insulating the bottom of said plates.

2; A totally enclosed electric heating unit comprising a housing, a pair of metal plates in faceto-face position and having spaced passages therebetween including a flat-surfaced top-plate and a bottom-plate having embossed portions therein, the walls of said spaced passages comprising said embossed portions, and a heating element having a single turn mounted within each of the spaced passages, insulating material completely filling the'space between said heating element and said plates, means comprising said housing for supporting and sealing the plates, insulating means located within said housing and below said metal plates, and means comprising said housing and insulating means for thermally insulating the bottom of said plates.

3. The method of making an electric hot plate adapted to operate at red heat in air, which includes the steps of locating a heating element between an upper and a lower opposed metal plate having cooperating embossed portions therein, a single turn of said element being disposed in each of the spaces formed by said embossed portions, completely filling the space between said heating element and said plates with highly compressed heat-conducting electrically portions in said upper plate to increase the density 01' said insulating material between the element and the upper plate to thereby increase its heat conductivity and lengthen the life of the hot plate the flattened embossed portions being located in a common plane. I

4'. The method of making an electric hot plate which includes the steps of placing initially metallic e nsively oxidizable material in close relation to a heating coil, locating said coil between an upper and a lower opposed metal plate having cooperating embossed portions therein, a single turn of said coil being disposed in each 01! the spaces formed by said embossed portions, oxidizing said material to completely flll the space between said coil and said plates with highly compressed insulating material, permanently securing the plates together, and flattening the embossed portions in said upper plate to flatten said coil and increase the density and the thermal conductivity of said material between the to provide a relatively large surface for conduc-- tion of heat to a utensil adapted to be placed upon and in contact therewith.

5.1m electric mung unit adapted to operate ataredheatinairandtodirectlysupport'a cooking utensil on one surface thereotcomprising a pair of metal plates arranged in iace-to-iaoe relation, said plates having cooperating embossed portions providing spaced passages therebetween. a resistor wire arranged in a plurality of spaced convolutlons with only one convolution disposed in each passage, a continuous mass of highly compressed heat-conducting and electrical-insulating material entirely surrounding said wire and exerting an expansive force on said plates, means for securing said plates together to resist the expansive thrust oi the material, the embossed portions oi'the upper plate being flattened under pressure applied thereto to more highly compress the material in a zone between the wire and the upper plate to increase the thermal conductivity 01' said zone and to provide a generally flat cooking surface.

6. In a heating unit as set forth in claim 5, a housing for supporting and sealing the plates, a mass of thermal insulating located within the housing and below said plates for insulating the bottom thereof. 1

- GEORGE E. PRICE. 

